From the Past
by greekprophet
Summary: Leo Fitz has secrets. He never thought that they'd swing round and hurt his team but, then again, he never thought he might end up dating the ridiculously attractive Agent Ward. It's strange how things can turn out. WARNINGS: mentions of past abuse, attempted assualt, attempted sexual assualt, violence, lemon. All with a happy ending, though!
1. Chapter 1

Leo Fitz was adorable. If asked Agent Grant Ward would fervently deny that the word adorable was even in his vocabulary but, in the privacy of his own mind, he could admit that he saw the scientist as something more than a friend. Of course, he would never act on his feelings. He'd seen how Fitz-Simmons worked. They were perfect for one another, and ok, he'd been accused of being an asshole in the past but there was no way that he'd screw things up like that for them. No matter how sweet you are having a man declare affection for your guy was a strain and he'd never do that to Jemma.

Huh, maybe he was more cut out for being part of a team than he'd originally thought.

The point was, he didn't want to hurt either of them. He was a grown man and he could live with the fact that he might have developed a mammoth crush on his colleague. He'd get over it although some time off might help with that. He could find himself a nice out of the way bar, take home a girl, hell maybe even take home a guy. If he was being truly honest with himself though he'd never met another guy he'd wanted the way he wanted Leo Fitz. And that was stupid considering he couldn't understand every second sentence that came out of his mouth. He'd entertained some fantasies about that mouth. About what it would take to shut the younger man up. If he leaned over and pressed his own mouth against those pink lips briefly would the engineer silence? Or would it take more? A firmer touch, a hint of tongue. For a second he let himself imagine what it might be like then he pushed the thought away firmly. That wasn't going to help.

"You should tell him." If he wasn't a well-trained agent he might have leapt out of his skin at the words spoken about two inches from his ear. As it was he managed to turn his slight involuntary movement into a twist of his torso so he could look Skye in the face. He seriously needed to get his act together if Skye of all people could sneak up on him. "Seriously," she continued "It's almost pathetic. Or it would be if it wasn't so cute. The great and infallible Agent Ward pining over his oblivious work college."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied smoothly. When in doubt, deny everything.

"Sure you don't," she muttered. "It's so obvious that I'm surprised he hasn't noticed you mooning all over him. Guys really are oblivious."

"Even though I don't know what you're talking about I'm forced to point out that I am an agent and therefore incapable of being obvious about anything."

"Well that's bull. It's so obvious that you might as well be wearing a t-shirt screaming 'I want Leo Fitz'."

"What about you?" he asked. Time to go on the offensive. "You're not exactly hiding your super crush."

"I don't have a super crush." Her voice was that little bit uncertain and he restrained the urge to smirk. Thank you SHEILD training in targeted guess-work.

"Sure you don't," he replied and left it at that. He didn't move when she sighed and left but he allowed his shoulders to relax slightly. Too soon apparently as he couldn't hide the flinch when Coulson appeared to his left seemingly out of nowhere. "Sir," he greeted his superior officer.

"Is it going to be a problem for you?" Coulson asked crisply, gesturing at the lab where Fitz was leaning over his bench, soldering torch in hand and a look of intense concentration on his face. And that, that right there, was the problem with living on a plane full of super agents and spies. It was damn near impossible to keep secrets.

"No, Sir." He wasn't even going to try lying this time. It wasn't worth the embarrassment when Coulson dragged the truth out of him eventually. The older man's face softened slightly.

"You know," he said, jerking his head lab-wards "He could do worse."

"He's already done better," Ward said calmly. As if to prove his point Jemma leant right into the engineers personal space and swiped her finger across his cheekbone. There was no mistaking the intimacy in the movement.

"I used to think that about my partner," Coulson admitted freely. He smiled slightly a spark of something Ward wasn't sure he quite understood in his eyes.

"What happened, Sir?" he asked, curious to know a bit more about his slightly enigmatic superior.

"He proved me wrong," Coulson shrugged, leaving as silently as he'd come.


	2. A last night of freedom

There was a slightly strained atmosphere in the conference room. For once Coulson looked as uncomfortable as the rest of them.

"I'm sorry," he said finally "Director Fury feels that we need slightly more active supervision."

"So he's sending a babysitter?" Skye asked incredulously. Beside her May shifted slightly, a shadow passing across her usually stoic face.

"With respect to the director," Ward said "another person here, especially a desk agent, could be damaging to the success of our missions."

"The director has factored that into his considerations," Coulson told them "He's sending us an agent with field experience who's been on duty shifts at the slingshot. This James Ebony has experience with the type of work that we're-"

"Sorry, what was his name?" Fitz interrupted. He knew that he should have waited but he had to know. Coulson raised an eyebrow but let it pass.

"James Ebony. Do you know him?" he asked

"I- It was a long time ago," Fitz muttered, looking at the floor "It turned out that I didn't really know him at all." He flushed at their attention.

"Can you work with him?" May asked "We're on slightly shaky ground with the director so if you have a problem then we need to know." Oh there was a problem, all right but what was he going to do? This team was the first place he'd felt like he could fit in for a long time. It might not even be the James Ebony he had known. It was a common enough name.

Leo Fitz took a deep breath and then, for the first time, lied to his team.

"It's not a problem. I just knew a James Ebony once and you caught me by surprise. Let's not give the director another reason to hate us."

"Ok," Coulson nodded "He's due to arrive tomorrow and we're going to have to adjust the sleeping arrangements slightly. I guess I miscounted when I commissioned the number of bunks I needed on this thing." He smiled wryly and made shooing gestures towards the group "Go and enjoy your last night of freedom before we're under constant surveillance. The team split their separate ways and Fitz made himself wander towards his workbench. A little bit of tinkering might help him with the turmoil inside his head.

James Ebony. It had been a long time since he'd even let himself think the name. It was a name that belonged in his past, from when he'd been too young and far too naïve for his own good. He'd never even told Jemma about James- too embarrassed by the stupid _child_ he'd been back then. No, what had happened with James had been his own fault and he was sensible enough to see that now. He'd been telling the truth after all, there wasn't going to be a problem with him and James. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and James probably didn't even remember him.

The next day dawned grey and cloudy and Fitz couldn't help but think to himself that it suited his mood perfectly. No matter how often he reassured himself, he couldn't shake his slight unease at what was about to happen. The throb of quickly approaching helicopter blades shook him out of his thoughts and he pasted a smile on his face and joined Jemma waiting on the boarding ramp of the bus. There was surprisingly little fuss about James's arrival. The helicopter landed, Coulson strode forward to meet it, shook the passenger's hand, the helicopter took off and there was two people walking back towards the bus. Fitz couldn't breathe properly. 'You can do this' he told himself. He won't even remember you; it was seven years ago, for god's sake get a grip. The sun was in his eyes and he couldn't see properly, couldn't tell if it was the man who'd come perilously close to breaking him.

"Is that-?" When did they cross the ground between heli-pad and jet? "It is!" the voice sounded delighted and he made himself look up from the ground, past immaculate black leather shoes, up legs encased in black cotton slacks and past a torso that was softer than he remembered. "Leo! It's been forever, how are you?"

Fitz couldn't make himself smile. He knew his face was closed off and a little cold and that his teammates would notice but he couldn't make himself smile. James Ebony had the same piercing green eyes he'd had when they first met, His blond hair was maybe a bit thinner and there were a few mores lines on his face but apart from that he was the same as he'd been when he'd blasted into the life of student Leo Fitz over seven years ago.

"James," he said in lieu of a greeting "I'm… well. How are you?" He could do this, he could play nice. Fury's looking for a reason to take you all out of business, he reminded himself. You're not going to be that reason Leo; you're not going to let him take this away from you. He can't touch you here and he knows it. He accepted the hand James held out to him and struggled to cover his unease at touching the other man. The blond held on for slightly longer than was necessary and caught Fitz's eye.

"I'm also well," he smirked "I'm looking forward to renewing our acquaintance." With that he released Leo's hand and stepped into the bus. All of a sudden it didn't look like the sanctuary it usually felt like to Leo.


	3. Rough

Grant had decided that he hated James Ebony. It hadn't taken him long to come to his conclusion. The guy was fake all the way through. He wasn't sure what else he had expected from one of Fury's clowns but Ebony was slime pure and simple. He didn't know what the deal was with Fitz and the guy but it was making him queasy. He took every opportunity to crowd the engineer and some of the comments he made were clearly designed to make the younger man uncomfortable. If Fitz had been hoping to keep it a secret then Ebony had made it more than clear that he was hoping to continue a relationship that they'd had. Grant had seen the files. He knew that Ebony was twenty years older than Leo. Ordinarily it might not have bothered him too much but Fitz was just so damn young.

"Have you seen Fitz?" Skye was getting too sneaky. She'd caught him out now more times than he'd like to admit.

"No," he answered her tersely "Tried his workbench?"

"It's nearly midnight," Skye sighed "I was hoping you'd seen him make his way to bed. He's been looking a bit worn down recently. It's that Ebony guy, he-" She stopped, looking guilty.

"I hate him, too," Ward offered and had to smile slightly at her look of relief

"Guys a slime ball," she muttered resentfully "I thought at first I might just hate him because he's here to watch our every move but it's more than that. I know Fitz said he wouldn't have a problem working with the guy but I'm starting to think that I might have a problem with him working with the guy. Creep's made it clear they were involved from way back which is fine, Fitz deserves to do what he wants with his life, but Ebony's using every opportunity to push it out there when Fitz has always chosen not to talk about it."

"It's unprofessional." Grant was pleased that he managed not to move where Skye leapt in the air with a strangled shriek. May gave her an unimpressed look and carried on speaking "Ebony needs to be reprimanded but Coulson's hands are tied until Fitz approaches him about it or he sees it himself and Ebony is perfectly behaved in front of his superior officer."

"He won't approach Coulson about it," Grant said morosely "He'll be worried about making a fuss and having Fury decommission the team."

"That's sweet but what it this starts to interfere with his work?" Skye asked "He'd never forgive himself if something went wrong because he was side-tracked."

"That's a good point," Grant nodded.

"Speak to him about it," May told him and left calling back over her shoulder "He's at his workbench." Skye followed after her and he realised with a start that despite May being his equal, on the team anyway, he had just been delivered a very precise order. He stood up and stretched muscles that twinged slightly from sitting in the same position for too long.

The lighting in the lab was harsh and bright and Grant wasn't happy to see that Ebony was leaning against the wall next to a workbench littered with broken glass. Fitz was oddly silent as he cleaned up the mess and a cold lump settled in his gut.

"Leo was just a bit clumsy," the blond man said smoothly "Lost his grip."

"You alright?" Grant asked the engineer who nodded, still quiet. It was the longest amount of time Grant had ever seen him go without something to say. He was side-tracked from that thought, though, when he got close enough to see the crimson mixed in with the glass. "You're cut." He was moving without thinking, reaching for the younger man's hands and searching for the source of the blood.

"It's fine," murmured Leo "I'm used to it, it's fine. I've been a practical engineer since I was twelve. I'm used to the occasional scratch." He pulled his hands away. "It comes with the territory."

"That's rough," Grant said, wincing over the sliced knuckle that, while certainly not life threatening, was bound to sting unpleasantly.

"Oh, agent, hadn't you heard?" Ebony's voice was as smooth and slick as poison drenched silk "Leo _likes_ it rough." Before Grant could even move towards the older man a voice rang out like a whip crack.

"Agent Ebony, my office. Now." Coulson's face was cold and his stance uncompromising as he waited for the man to leave the room. "We'll be having a talk too," he told Leo but his voice was gentler. "Patch him up, Agent Ward," he ordered before leaving.

"Let me?" he asked reaching out again but Leo shook his head "It's already stopped bleeding," he said holding his hand out as proof "I need to get the suction cleaner onto this glass before there's an even bigger accident. With that, he swept past Grant and began to bustle around the workshop as if he wasn't even there. Watching him, Grant got the feeling that he was missing something important.


	4. Late nights

Ward was standing waiting for him to stop, he knew, but he couldn't make himself stand still. The humiliation burned through him at the thought of what the agent must think of what he had seen. He hoped that Coulson wasn't too harsh on James. The man wouldn't hesitate to twist things round for Fury to make Leo look bad. He would explain to Coulson that he wasn't really bothered by the whole thing. Surely he would listen. Or at least he would if Leo was actually capable of lying to the man and he didn't think that, faced with his boss's bland stare; he'd be able to do anything other than stutter out half formed falsehoods. Might as well be a complete and utter coward, Leo, the thought to himself when he was absolutely one hundred percent sure that all traces of glass and blood were cleaned from the work surface. Jemma'd have his hide if he left anything that might contaminate her work.

"I'm going to go to bed," he said, stripping off his jacket and dumping it into the container reserved for items that needed chemical cleansing.

"I think Coulson wanted to talk to you tonight, actually," Ward said "I can tell him you were tired if you like."

"That'd be great, thanks." Leo was grateful that, for tonight at least, he wouldn't have to try and explain things.

"Just do me a favour, would you?" Ward asked. Without waiting for Leo to answer he carried on "Lock up your privacy screen tonight, would you? Just, as a favour?" he added when Leo frowned at him. It was easier to agree, though, and deep down he knew it'd let him sleep better.  
"Sure," he nodded and left to try and find some peace in the tiny space that was assigned as his on the bus.

It was hours later when he finally gave up on sleeping. James, Ward, Coulson; it was all tumbling around in his head and what rest he did get was interrupted by half formed nightmares about events that shouldn't bother him after seven damn years. He rolled out of his bunk and threw clothes on. Maybe some work was what he needed. There was some routine maintenance that would probably act as a decent sleep aid. If all else failed he could work on that rifle he'd been tinkering with for Ward. It wasn't something the agent had specifically asked for but he just knew that if he got it right then he'd have something Ward would want to use. He didn't bother turning the lights on as he made his way through the jet. He wouldn't need them until he reached the lab, anyway.

The bright glow of the lights over his workbench were almost welcoming and he pulled up his stool and reached for the portable screen that he preferred to use when it was just him and no one needing to see his work. The maintenance would involve making noise and he realised, glancing at the time, that it might not make him the most popular guy in the world if he started banging and clattering at this time of night. Looked like the rifle schematics were what he needed. He pulled them up and, for the fun of it, displayed them as a three-dimensional hologram. He reached into the heart of the weapon and started to try and make sense of a way he could make it non-lethal _and_ effective at long distances.

The hand on his shoulder had his heart pounding and, although he was already twisting up and away, he knew he was too late when an arm banded around his throat. He was picked up and bodily thrown against the wall, his breath leaving his body in a gasp that was compounded when James, of course it was James, pressed up against him.

"Leo," he all but purred "Seems I've underestimated how much your boss cares about you. Are you spreading your legs for him, sweetie? You've a thing for older men, if I remember correctly." He slammed the engineer into the wall again, rivets where the finish wasn't quite smooth digging into his back through a shirt that offered absolutely no protection. "You were mine, Leo," James hissed "I was good to you, baby, and you left me. Was it for men like him, sweetie?"

"I left you because you were an abusive bastard," Leo managed to get out. He wasn't going to take it the way he had in the past. He wasn't going to be meek- not this time. He struggled but James had the advantage in height, strength and experience. A vicious blow to his abdomen had him reaching for air that wouldn't come and he gagged as he tried to pull oxygen back into his lungs. James leant back and stared at his face appraisingly. Whatever he saw seemed to please him because he smiled cruelly and leaned in again, ripping at the buttons of Leo's button down. When the younger man renewed his struggles his attacker smashed his head backwards into the wall and everything blurred. He felt his limbs go weak and warm liquid seeped down into his already ruined shirt's collar. The hands on his skin were suddenly distant and he could only cry out inside his head at the feeling of violation they brought with them.

He didn't realise they were gone until he was falling to the floor and he could distantly hear crashes and shouts but he couldn't see properly through the haze in his eyes. He made himself push up onto his hands and knees then back to use the wall as support. For a second what he saw didn't make sense until his vision finally cleared in time for him to see Agent May's arms around Ward's shoulders, dragging him back from something Leo couldn't quite see.

"See to Fitz," she snapped "I'll deal with this." The tense line of Ward's shoulders shuddered once and then he was moving quickly. Kneeling down next to Leo he reached out slowly.

"Fitz, you hear me okay?" he asked "Leo, can you answer me? Where does it hurt?"

"Head," he managed "Back." He was fairly proud of getting even that much out past the rushing in his ears.  
"Can I take a look?" Ward asked. He waited for Leo to nod before he reached out and carefully ran searching fingers along his scalp. He hissed in sympathy when they came back red. "Do you want to try and get up?" he asked the engineer and when the answer was yes he eased him up and into his chair. "Ah shit," he muttered when he saw the raw scrapes on Leo's back.

"It's not too bad," Leo murmured and it really wasn't. The fuzziness was all but gone and yes it hurt but not so much that he felt like he couldn't function properly. "I've had worse," he pointed out and could tell immediately that he'd said the wrong thing.

"When?" Ward snapped explosively "Did he give you worse?" he demanded "Is that what the deal was with you two? Did he beat you like that? Did he-" Ward cut himself off and before Leo could make sense of the anguish in the other man's voice Jemma was there, her hands sliding under the ruin of his shirt, tears in her eyes and Ward was gone.


	5. Sleeping

What the hell kind of man are you? That was the thought running through Grant's head as he reported to Coulson in tones he kept as impartial as he could. What were you thinking? If you were trying to be more of an asshole you couldn't have succeeded. He was hurting, hell he was trying to make you feel better and you say something like that. You'll deserve it if he never wants you near him again. Coulson's voice was as cold as arctic winter when he spoke.

"I want him off."

"I was all for throwing him off the plane sir but Agent May persuaded me that it would be a waste of the parachute to save his sorry life." Grant admitted.

"Who said anything about using a parachute?" May's voice from behind him was as calm as ever and he was wired enough by the night's events to flinch slightly. Damn this jet. "Fury's already got enough ammunition against us," she sighed "I was tempted," she admitted.

"I'm tempted now," Coulson said gently "But we're the good guys for a reason and that's why Fury won't be able to close us down. Melinda, get on the radio. Looks like we have some garbage that needs to be dropped off at the nearest SHEILD installation before it stinks out the plane."

"Yes, sir," she nodded "Shall I contact director Fury as well?"

"You'd better," Coulson nodded "No more babysitters from here on out. I think we can conclusively prove that it's a security risk. Go and see to Fitz, Ward" he ordered "He'll need his friends around him. I'm sure there's more to this story than we already know."

"Not so sure I should do that, sir," Ward admitted "I think I may have said something… stupid in the heat of the moment."

"Well then, you need to be the guy who apologizes," Coulson told him "It's amazing how far an apology will get you if you think you've screwed up." And then he was gone, leaving Grant wondering how he had screwed up with his mystery partner and how long it had taken to be completely forgiven. He sighed and turned towards the living quarters where he knew Jemma and Skye were seeing to Fitz. What greeted him was a sight that made him ache in ways he didn't really want to talk about. Fitz- Leo, you called him Leo earlier, he reminded himself- was lying face down on his bunk with blanket at his waist. The marks on his back were still livid but there was a glisten that suggested something had been smeared across them. He looked peaceful as he slept and so damn young that Grant felt a twinge of guilt at his attraction to him.

"You!" Jemma's voice was angry "Whatever you said to him, you need to fix it. He somehow thinks this is all his fault and that you're angry at him for not fighting or some bullshit like that and I know you must have said something because, out of all the people on this plane," she pauses for a gasp of breath "you have the ability to hurt him the most and you don't even know how much or why!"

"What?" was the level of eloquence he managed in the face of her anger.

"For some reason, he cares about what you think of him," she snapped "Your opinion matters and you're too stupid to even see it! He needed comfort and instead you acted like he was the one you were angry at."  
"I'm not angry at him," he managed to get out "I would never be-"

"You've got strange ideas of how to not seem angry if you think that you should shout at people as if you were interrogating a criminal!"

"I was never angry at him," the words pour out as though a dam has broken "I was so angry, yes, but not at him. At myself, at Ebony, Fury, even May but I wasn't angry at him. Not ever him. He's too important to-" he broke off but it was too late. He could see the understanding dawn in her eyes.

"He's going to kill me for this," she muttered and carried on before he could ask her to elaborate "He likes you, Ward. God only knows why but out of all the people in the world he could crush on, he picked you. And I used to think that it was a problem but May tells me you would have killed that son of a bitch today. And that got me thinking. That kind of anger comes when it's personal and it hurts. Ok, it could have been just that he's your teammate but after what you just said I'm starting to think that maybe it's personal for another reason. That maybe you care and I can't think of a single reason that could make that a bad thing."  
"I always thought that you and him," he trailed of and made a hand gesture. He could feel the flush on the back of his neck when she laughed at him delightedly.

"He's like a brother to me," she said gently "I love him but I'd never see him that way. And anyway, I'm really not his type, Agent Ward." Jemma smiled at him "You should go for it," she said. "I need you to stay here, please," she carried on briskly "I have the lab to sort out and I don't want him waking up on his own." There was no way for him to argue that wouldn't make him sound like even more of a jerk so he simply nodded and took up a guard position just outside the opened privacy screen. If there was one thing he could do it was protect the sleeping man where he hadn't been capable of protecting him earlier that day.

"Ward?" He didn't have to wait all that long before he heard the engineer's voice beckoning him. Get a grip, he reminded himself. Ok, he's half naked but he's been through hell and you owe him a serious apology. He will not appreciate you turning into the same type of creep that Ebony was. It turned out he didn't have to worry about an inappropriate reaction to the younger man's nudity. The sight of bruises blossoming across that pale skin was enough to kill his libido stone dead.

"Do you need something?" he asked "I can fetch Jemma if you need-"

"I don't need Jemma," Fitz shook his head "I need to talk to you." Grant swallowed but nodded his head.

"Ok," he said "Fitz, if this is about-"

"Do you think you could call me Leo?" Fitz asked wearily and Grant was only able to nod dumbly. "Thanks," Fitz- no it was Leo now- sighed "I don't feel like the formality, right now."

"Call me Grant," Grant offered "And please let me apologize. What I said to you, I never should have… I didn't mean to make it sound like I was blaming you…" He trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"I know," Leo said "I have a confession;" he admitted "I wasn't sleeping earlier. I heard Jemma talking to you and I was going to say something, I swear and then I heard what you were saying and I just couldn't interrupt you. I'm sorry."

"You heard?" Grant asked slowly. He swallowed, aware of how loud it sounded in the silence between them "What did you think?" he asked carefully.

"I think I might have to do something horrible to Jemma," Leo muttered "It wasn't her secret to give away."

"You really like me?" Grant asked then cursed his inner fourteen year old girl for making an appearance.

"Yes, I really like you," the younger man confirmed. His blush was adorable and Grant couldn't help the smile spreading across his face.

"I really like you too he offered," ignoring the embarrassment that came with the confession "I've liked you for a while now but I always thought that you and Jemma were, you know. Didn't want to screw that up for you."

"It's not like that for us," Leo said "She's my girl but I've never seen her as anything other than a sister. She's always been there for me, always. When James and I broke up. Well, I met her two days after that and she made everything better."

"You don't have to talk about him," Grant offered sincerely "You never have to talk about him." Leo met his eyes and nodded firmly.

"Will you listen, though?" he asked "Maybe if I'd talked about him to someone then we wouldn't have ended up here. In the interest of full disclosure, I'd like you to hear about it. I don't want you getting into something you're not ready for."

"As an agent of SHEILD," Grant smiled "I'm ready for anything. But I'll listen if you need me too. Whatever you need, I'll be here."


	6. Guard

Leo scooted up on the bed and patted the covers in front of him. Grant eased himself onto the end of the bunk, careful not to touch the engineer or jostle his injuries in any way.

"I was young and stupid," Leo started. He frowned when Grant went to interrupt him and shook his head "Let me tell it, then you can argue," he said and didn't wait before he carried on "I was a student, young to be where I was in the college but I graduated high school early and there didn't seem to be much use in waiting. I'd been seventeen for two days when I met James and he was perfect. Older, more experienced, a frequent visitor to the college. We fell into a relationship and at first it was everything I wanted. I was with him for two and a half years and the first half of that time was amazing. He was attentive, careful, romantic and I was naïve- too naïve."

He snorted, a shadow passing over his face and Grant saw how he picked at a loose thread in the sheets. Without saying anything he lay his hand down on the bunk palm up. Leo's smile was shy as he took the offer of support, linking his fingers in with the agent's. "I didn't see it coming," the engineer admitted "He was controlling. Small things at first, needing to know where I was, what I was doing. Asking me for favours and never doing me any. He got worse and worse and I never saw it. He never beat me. Not like you were suggesting, he never did that to me but he wouldn't hesitate to hurt me. Not to leave a mark, or at least not much of one. He was rough, you know, when we were…" Leo broke of flushing "Together," he finished. "That was why I left in the end," he said and stopped as if he'd explained everything perfectly.

"Did he?" Grant began. He couldn't make himself say the word rape "Force you?" he asked instead. Leo looked away shrugging uneasily.

"I didn't say no," he admitted "I was so used to what he did to me, saying no didn't even occur to me. He'd been jealous about something, I can't even remember what. It was after and I was cleaning myself and there was blood on the cloth and he looked at me and said, If you ever hurt me then I'll come after you and I'll make you suffer, Leo. And I don't know why but at that moment I realised how screwed up the whole thing was. So I waited for him to leave, go away for a few days, and I transferred to a different college. At first I was afraid he might find me but I, ah, tinkered with some records so he'd never know where I was. I met Jemma two days after I transferred and the rest is history. I got my masters, thought about my career path and a man in a black suit turned up at my workshop and made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"SHEILD are pretty good at getting what they want," Grant nodded "Am I allowed to talk now?"

"Sure," Leo nodded "not sure what there is to say, though."

"Firstly," Grant began "You're one of the smartest people I know. You were a kid, you were in over your head and he took advantage of that. It's all on him. None of it is your fault, none of it, you hear me? Secondly, you are so brave. No, you are," he insisted when the other man shook his head "You lived through that and here you are and you are an amazing person. You'll believe me one day, I'm very persuasive. Thirdly, I wish I had thrown that son of a bitch off the plane."

Leo snorted delightedly and grinned at the older man. "After, all that," he said slowly, "I'd understand if you said no but I hope you say yes. Do you wanna get coffee with me or, um, or something?"

"Yes," Grant said quickly, "Yes, I'd like to get coffee, or something. Anything. I'd like that. A lot."

"So that's a yes then?" Leo asked but his grin was eclipsed by a massive yawn.

"Yes, that's a yes," The older man said "And you need to go back to sleep," he added when the next yawn had the engineer's jaw cracking.

"Will you?" Leo asked, glancing at the doorway.

"I'll be outside," Grant nodded. He enjoyed the fact that he could tuck the blanket around the other man without worrying about offending him. "Sleep," he murmured "I'll watch over you. With that he took up position where he'd been when Jemma approached him.

It was half an hour later when Coulson approached him. Leo had fallen asleep in less than five minutes.

"How is he?" their boss asked quietly "It's been a long day for him. For us all in fact. I take it that you and he are finally seeing straight?"

"Yes, sir," Grant nodded "Guess we both needed a bit of a push," he said, remembering the fire in Jemma's eyes.

"We all need a push every now and then, agent Ward," Coulson said softly. There was something in his eyes that made Grant ask before he'd thought about it.

"Who pushed you, sir?"

"You were lucky," Coulson said wryly "I had sense kicked into me by the Black Widow. Natasha's never been known for pulling her punches. You did good work today, Ward," he added as he strode away "I'll make a team player out of you yet."

The Black Widow? That meant that Coulson's partner was… Barton? No way. He stopped and thought about the few times he'd met the stoic, occasionally painfully sharp archer and then he played that in his head against Coulson's calm and the dead pan sense of humour. It worked. The combination was never one he'd have come to in his own mind but he could see them going well together.

"I'll be damned," he muttered to himself and resumed his silent guard.


	7. A Rest Day

"Agent May and I will be travelling to the SHEILD base to co-ordinate with the people taking Ebony off of our hands," Coulson addressed the group the next morning. "We won't be gone long but there's paperwork to do. As for the rest of you, stay here, do what you want. Consider this an unofficial rest day." Skye whooped and skipped, yes she was skipping, towards her bunk.

"I've got some test to do," Jemma announced "I need the light microscopy set, Leo."

"I'll dig it out for you," Leo told her "Just give me a sec, Jem, I won't be long."

"I'll meet you in the lab," she said cheerfully as she wandered off muttering about chemical composition and light microscopes that weren't there when she needed them.

"I think that she sometimes forgets that I need space in that place as well," Leo said fondly "I've got some routine maintenance to run. It's going to cause a bang and a clatter but it'll keep things running smoothly, I hope."

"I can probably amuse myself, somehow," Grant said lightly "I'll only get in your way in a lab," he added "There's some things I can get sorted to make sure that we're completely combat ready for when it's needed again."

"Swing by the lab when you're done?" Leo asked "We can get coffee or something." He grinned and was halfway out the room when Grant caught up. At the touch on his shoulder he glanced back and saw that the older man was reaching for him. He expected to be pressed against the wall but was surprised when Grant put his own back to it and tugged Leo in against his body. Making sure he wasn't trapped, the engineer realised with a surge of affection.

"Is this Ok?" the agent asked. His gaze drifted down to his mouth and Leo felt a wash of heat when he understood what it meant. Grant wanted to kiss him.

"It's good," he breathed and tilted his head up, wanting but not sure how far to press it. The other man leant down and brushed their lips together and it was perfect. Undemanding, sweet, gentle. Everything Leo needed. He let his arms move the way they wanted to and gripped at strong shoulders.

"Fitz, come on!" Jemma's voice floating through the jet had them pulling apart and he sank down from where he'd gone on tiptoe.

"I'll see you later," he smiled as he pulled away "Jemma needs her microscope and it's technically my fault that she can't get to it. I might have buried it a bit under some work I was doing."

"I'll see you," Grant called after him as he walked away and he couldn't help the smile he knew was spreading over his face. It took one look and Jemma was grinning at him.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked innocently. Or it would be innocent if she wasn't leering at him. "You know you can tell me anything," she pressed "Anything at all, Leo."

"Your microscope madam," he pulled the case clear for her "I would like to point out that it was hardly hidden."

"I didn't want to screw up your stuff," she shrugged. "It was easier to let you sort it."

"Sure," he snorted but let it go as they went back to working on their respective projects. It was some time later when Jemma spoke again.

"Leo," she asked "Where are the plates that I requisitioned for the ten thousand times magnification?"

"Store cupboard two, I think," he told her and heard the door open and close as she left. He didn't really register her coming back in but a noise behind him had him twisting in his stool. "Did you find them he asked?" but before he could say anything more a flash of pain rang through his skull and he was falling through darkness.

Pain was what woke him. It radiated out in splinters from a point just above his right ear, leaving him groggy and confused.

"Jemma?" he asked; his vision wobbling and dark at the edges.

"Not Jemma," the voice was silk smooth and sickening and familiar, far too familiar. "Did you really think I would just go away, Leo? After the effort I put in for you?" His hands were tied in front of him, resting on the smooth translucent surface of the workbench. The zip ties were tight enough that they were cutting into his writs painfully. As his brain cleared slightly he was carefully to make his head droop. Ebony was arrogant- he'd easily believe that he'd done all he needed to subdue the younger man. "Do you hurt?" Ebony yanked at his hair until they were eye to eye. Leo kept his gaze unfocused, let his eyes slip away. In his peripheral vision he could see Jemma lying outside the lab doors. He didn't know if she was dead or alive and his stomach was a ball of churning ice just thinking about what Ebony might have done to her. He didn't have to fake the wave of nausea when he was pushed forward over the bench and Ebony pulled at his clothes. He struggled and was punished with heavy blows to his lower back that had him gasping in pain.

"Activate," he gasped "Activate." He was never going to be strong in the way Ward was, or even Ebony but he wasn't the defenseless boy he'd been once. And Ebony had hurt one of his own. There were cool hands on his skin, and he tried to ignore how they squeezed and pinched at his flesh. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of metal and he fought back the triumph. He didn't want Ebony to see what was coming. As the first of the sensor drones flew into his eye line he allowed himself a feral grin.


	8. The Good Guys

It took a minute for Grant to realize that the banging from the workshop had stopped. He grinned to himself. It looked like his mechanic had finished with the making noise portion of his days activities. Don't be too eager, he told himself. He'll need to tidy up and you'll get under foot. He left it but after a quarter of an hour he couldn't resist the temptation anymore. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard Skye and his blood ran cold.

"WARD!" she was screaming his name and he started taking the stairs three at a time. He followed her voice to the lab. What he saw was a punch in the gut and he hit the glass doors only to rebound violently.

"They're bullet-proof," Skye gasped when he pulled out his gun "If you shoot they'll set off every alarm in this place." She was leant over Jemma with fingers on the other woman's throat.

"Hack in," he snapped "Hack in now, Skye. Past the overrides. Get me in there." He took her place at Jemma's side a tiny part of his tension easing when he felt her pulse throb strongly against his fingertips. He could still see Leo, though, draped out over the table with his clothes torn and his face and wrists bloody. He couldn't see Ebony. It had to have been Ebony who did this but he couldn't see him.

"I've got it," Skye's voice was triumphant and afraid as he barged into the room, gun up, searching for Ebony. He almost fired when he caught movement but stopped himself when he saw that it was one of Leo's toys. Blue light flashed and he realised that he'd passed a test of some kind. It was then that he saw Ebony crumpled behind the table. He stooped for a pulse and when he found one he seriously considered shooting the man. It was with regret that he strapped him up in SHEILD issue handcuffs and left him alive on the floor. Threats neutralized, he turned to where Skye was pulling the remains of Leo's clothes around him. There were tears in her eyes and fear bubbled up inside him. The hands that reached for the engineer's throat weren't quite steady. The beat of the other man's heart was enough to have him coughing gruffly to hide the relief that had his throat closing.

"I see you have things under control." He looked up and Coulson was standing in the doorway, gun drawn, tie crooked. May was kneeling beside Jemma who was starting to come around.

"We need a med team," he said tersely. He was bothered by the torn state of Leo's shirt so he pulled his jacket of and draped it over the younger man.

"On its way," Coulson said. "We had one follow us as soon as we realised that Ebony was gone. He had friends. God knows how but they were part of the team that picked him up. The good news is that Director Fury is going to have his hands full dealing with this. Ebony was in far too deep, he was a level seven. He never should have got that far with those tendencies." Grant nodded but he wasn't really listening. He was focused on the rise and fall that indicated Leo was breathing. He hated having to leave him on the hard surface but he was afraid of what damage he might do if he moved him.

The medical team was as prompt as Coulson had promised and Grant was elbowed unceremoniously out of the way for them to work. He wanted to ride with them to the base but he could see there was no room so he settled for riding in the back of the SUV alongside Skye who was uncharacteristically quiet.

"They'll be ok," he said softly but he wasn't sure if he was reassuring himself or her. She gave him a watery smile.

"Of course they will," she murmured "They're tough. Look what Fitz did to Ebony. I had no idea his robots could knock a man out like that. Makes em pretty useful, huh."

"Yeah," he nodded "I guess Ebony wasn't expecting him to be able to fight back."

"He was wrong," Coulson said from the passenger seat "He was wrong about a lot of things when it came to Leo Fitz and now he'll pay for what he's done. It's not just Leo. On our preliminary findings alone we believe that Ebony has preyed on other members of our organisation. Even in an institution like SHEILD there are people who can be taken advantage of, have their fears played upon. Ebony is going away for a long time. He'll never see daylight as a free man again." Coulson sounded grimly satisfied with that fact.

"I can live with that," Skye said and her she smiled fiercely when Grant looked her way. He could live with it too, he supposed, although there was always going to be part of him that regretted not shooting Ebony where he lay. That's what makes us the good guys, he reminded himself. We're better than that.


	9. What I Want

Leo woke to the blessed absence of pain and a soft humming in his ears interspersed with the regular bleep of a heart monitor. The bed he was lying on was soft and he relaxed into the sheets with a sigh that cut off when he remembered what had happened. The wires tangled when he swung his legs over the side of the bed but he ignored them, yanking at the covers that were getting in his way.

"Easy, dammit, Leo. Take it easy," Grant was at his side pushing at the monitor alarm button to silence the noise that had started when the younger man pulled some connections loose.

"Jemma, where is she," Leo asked, desperately afraid of what the answer might be. His mouth was dry and it left his voice hoarse sounding.

"She's ok," the agent reassured him "She's next door. She's better off than you, in fact but they're keeping her in as a precaution mostly. Ebony used a pretty nasty cocktail of drugs to take her down. They wanted to make sure there weren't going to be any side effects."

"James? What happened to him?"

"He's in custody," Grant said grimly "And he's not going anywhere this time. The gases your robot released put him out for three days you know. None of us had any idea you'd weaponised those things."

"That was Sleepy," Leo smiled shyly "I thought it might come in handy someday to have them aware of threats and have a response to them. I didn't think I'd be testing it so soon, though. Guess it works ok."

"Better than ok," Grant replied "Although if that was sleepy then I'd hate to see what grumpy can do." The laugh he got from the younger man was one of the best sounds he'd ever heard in his life. "Lie back down," he urged "You might be feeling better but you need rest. You caught the tail end of the gas blast your robot gave Ebony. It's probably why you're feeling weak. Between that and the hairline crack he put in your skull, you're recovering remarkably quickly. I guess SHEILD medical teams get all the good toys, huh?"

"I see you're up," came a dry noise from the doorway and they turned to see a woman in nurses' scrubs frowning severely "Back into bed," she ordered the young man and he grimaced guiltily before swinging his legs back under the covers.

"When am I allowed to leave," he asked and the nurse sighed "If I had a dime for everyone who'd ever asked that," she said "I'd have retired a rich woman after a year's work at SHEILD."

"Sorry," Leo murmured as she began to reattach monitoring equipment "Just eager to get back to work, I guess."

"Well, unless the doctor says otherwise you should be out of here by tomorrow," she told him, relenting slightly "Although I'd suggest you leave the saving of the world to someone else for another couple of weeks. I'll find your doctor," she said as she tucked the blanket back around him and her brisk footsteps rang out as she strode down the corridor away from them.

"Do you want me to fetch the others?" Grant asked "They've been waiting. Skye's damn near driven us all mad with it. For someone with a job like hers I'd expected her to have a little more patience."

"Give her a code to crack and she'll sit quietly happy for hours," Leo offered "I wish that was a joke but Jemma actually did it once."

"Well, she's nothing if not practical," Grant decided "I guess we should be thanking her, really. If she hadn't said anything, I'd have probably carried on believing that you two were a thing."

"Nah," Leo shook his head "I'd have said something eventually. It probably would have been something ridiculous, my timing can sometimes be a little off, but I'd have said something eventually."

"Would it be like Skye and you offering to show me your equipment?"

"Did everyone hear that?" Leo asked. He could feel the blush rising in his cheeks and tried to cover it with a cross frown "You all understood what I meant, so I don't understand what all the fuss is-"

"I was jealous," Grant admitted candidly, cutting across the rest of Leo's sentence. "I knew you didn't mean it that way but I was still so ridiculously jealous of her. I felt like an idiot later on because you deserved to have whoever you wanted and if it was her then I-"

"I only want you," Leo blurted out. He could feel the red in his cheeks again but he didn't try to hide it this time. "I never wanted anyone else." He glanced down at where his hands were fiddling with the sheets nervously "That is if you still want me," he said quietly "After James, I would understand if you didn't, you know." He stayed staring down at his white knuckles until Grant's fingers were there twining in amongst his.

"I want you," Grant said gently and Leo looked up to see nothing but truth on his face "However long I need to wait, whatever I need to do. I want you, Leo. Only you." Leo smiled shyly.

"I don't think we need to wait that long," he said decisively and pulled his hands free so he could use them to pull the older man down into a kiss.


	10. Together

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

"Leo, I swear, I will drag you out of this lab kicking and screaming!" Jemma's voice was quite clear even on the stairs leading to his lover's work room and Grant grinned. "This is the first real vacation time we've had in over a year!"

"Hey, we had vacation time just three months back," Grant said by way of greeting as he held the door open for the engineer and the bio-chemist.

"Doesn't count," Leo told him, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Why not?" he asked good naturedly. "There was sun, there was sand and there was sea. Hell there was even palm trees. What part of that is not a vacation?"

"The unexploded volcano and the killer robots," Jemma told him firmly. She faced the monitor in the hallway "Engage lab lockdown," she said clearly.

"Verify," came the response.

"Verified, engage." Leo confirmed the order with the computer and the lights went dark. "Hey, Jem," he caught her up in a hug. "Have a good week. Give your folks a wave for me."

"Sure, she grinned "I'll see you in a week!" With that she was gone Grant grinned at the younger man. "Looks like it's just you and me," he said "What are we going to do with ourselves?" He felt a thrill of satisfaction when Leo evaded his grasp easily and dodged out of reach. The lessons he'd been giving had paid off. Maybe it was a weird response but the fact that Leo felt confident enough to refuse him was something that made him happy.

"I," the engineer announced "am going to finish tidying my bunk and you're not allowed to come or we'll miss our ride."

"How is me watching you make a bed gonna make us miss our ride?" Grant asked.

"You were planning on watching?" Leo asked archly.

"Well, no," he admitted and took a step into the other's personal space only to be stopped by a firm hand on his chest.

"I want this break," Leo told him "And that is why you're going to go and pack the car up and you're not going to distract me from packing," he leaned up, planted a kiss on the corner of Grant's mouth and was gone in a whirlwind of energy that made Grant aware of the slight age difference between them. He was too old for the engineer but he'd be dammed before he gave him up. He turned towards the landing ramp only to come face to face with an avenger.

"Agent Barton," he greeted the other man, hoping his start of surprise had gone unnoticed. If the amused smirk was anything to go by, it hadn't. Who was he kidding anyway? You didn't get the name Hawkeye if you didn't catch all the little details.

"Agent Ward," he was greeted "I'm looking for Coulson."

"In his office," Grant told him. Curiosity compelled him to offer "I can take you up if you want. Don't know how well you know this thing."

"Pretty well," Barton said easily "But I'll take the help where it's offered." The walk to Coulson's office wasn't a long one and the two men were silent. The office door was open and, although Grant stopped, Barton sauntered in as if he owned the place. Coulson was standing at the window and he turned at the entry of the archer. Something softened in his face and he stepped into the embrace that was offered with no self-consciousness whatsoever. Grant immediately felt uncomfortably like an intruder as he witnessed what was clearly meant to be a private moment.

"You're dismissed, Agent Ward," Coulson said when he saw the agent shift uncertainly "Have a good week." He pulled away from the archer to stand by the door "You've earnt it," he added. As she door swung shut, Grant very clearly heard Barton say in a voice that sounded like whiskey poured over gravel "You said not your office sir. This is not technically your office." The door closed off anything else he might have said and Grant decided it was for the best. Some things he didn't need to know about his superior officer.

THIRTY-SIX HOURS LATER

"Your family is nice," Grant told the engineer. He'd been instantly accepted, despite his obvious awkwardness in the face of a situation he didn't know how to handle. Mrs. Fitz had cried, he remembered and Leo's father had shaken his hand, clearing his throat roughly.

"Sorry about that," Leo smiled "I don't see them very often and, mum, she gets a bit emotional when I do make it home."

"Where do they think you work?" Grant asked him curiously. Lying was an unavoidable part of their job and he wanted to know how the younger man had dealt with it.

"I didn't want to lie," Leo shrugged "Mostly I tell them I'm a rocket scientist working for the government and that kind of covers it. It didn't feel right to tell them anything else and it's not technically a lie." Grant felt a smile pull at his face and he took the two steps necessary to pull the engineer into his arms.

"I love you," he whispered and leant into the kiss he was rewarded with.

"I love you too," Leo answered him although he blushed as he said it. Grant hoped he never lost that blush.

"So," he drawled, glancing at the single bed "I guess we're going to have to sleep close tonight. Hope that won't be a problem," he leered dramatically and Leo shook with laughter in his arms.

"Let me see," he teased "Sleeping close to you… hmmm, nope, no problem over here." They were close enough to the door that he could reach out and flip the lock over.

"Did I say sleeping?" Grant asked as he propelled them both backwards to the bed that, contrary to what was normal, was getting smaller every time he looked at it. They really would be sleeping closely. When he judged them close enough he pushed them down in a tangle of limbs and manfully suppressed the yelp when his elbow glanced off the bedside table. "It's sweet that we're in your old room," he said "But I think you outgrew this bed a while back, let alone adding me in here." He recognised the look on Leo's face and smiled fondly. The engineer concentrated so intensely on his problems and the tiny frown he wore was almost cute. Okay, it was definitely cute.

"I have it," Leo announced and rolled of the bed to start pulling off his clothes. Well, there was a plan Grant could get behind. He lay and watched until the other man gestured impatiently at him. He was halfway through his shirt buttons and the sight of pale skin and softly defined muscle was driving Grant insane. Leo was naked first but instead of letting Grant look at him like he wanted to he started pulling at the older man's clothes, making tiny impatient noises. Grant let himself be manhandled until he was leaning back against the headboard and Leo slung his leg over him until their hips were aligned. He ground down and at the slide of skin on skin Grant caught his breath.

"Leo," he murmured, reaching to hold the other man's hips. He adjusted them both until the friction was perfect and bucked upwards. Leo made a cut off whimper and his hands gripped at Grant's shoulders. They breathed each other's air for a moment but Grant couldn't resist for very long and pressed his mouth to his lover's. Leo kissed like he was drowning and Grant was the air that he needed for his very survival. He kissed with such focus that to be at the center of his attention was almost humbling. It was tempting, so tempting, to take hold and buck up against the sweet heat until they both came gasping the other's name but he had something else planned for tonight and apparently so did Leo. The engineer leant over and rummaged through his bedside drawer until he had lube and condoms he placed on the table. Grant raised an eyebrow. "How long have they been there?" He asked and Leo shifted slightly guiltily.

"About four hours," he admitted "I snuck up during dinner and put them there. It's just, on the bus we never have time or privacy and we hardly ever get off the bus and I really want you," he finished in a rush and Grant swept his fingertips over the blush that was there again.

"I want you, too," he murmured "What did you have in mind?"

"I want you in me," Leo said decisively and Grant stilled.

"Are you sure?" he asked "We can do it the other way round if you want." Leo looked confused.  
"I thought you'd…" he trailed off.

"Only want to top?" Grant asked "There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, babe. Ok, I don't usually bottom but that's out of habit really. If you wanted, you could top."

"Maybe another time," Leo decided "I want it this way first. I want you in me." Grant nodded and smoothly reversed their positions. Or at least he was aiming for smooth but the bed was small enough that he lost his balance slightly and knocked his elbow again. He didn't feel any pain, though, when he looked down at his lover. Leo was beautiful and he was going to do this right. With that in mind he bent to the task of driving the younger man wild.

He used hands, lips, occasionally even teeth and had the younger man moaning beneath him. When he finally reached for the lube he was as blindingly hard as his lover and he gritted his teeth at the feel of heat wrapping around his fingers. He slicked and stretched the other man until he was sure he was ready, scissoring and twisting his fingers until Leo was gasping.

"Please, now. Grant now!" he demanded and Grant couldn't resist. He rolled on the condom with unsteady hands and eased himself into the engineer, taking it as slowly as he could. When he was fully seated Leo bucked his hips and Grant took that as a signal to move. He pulled back and pushed forward, creating a rhythm that went faster and faster until he adjusted his angle slightly and grinned in triumph when Leo cried out in pleasure beneath him. After that they were in free-fall and he came instants after the younger man, gasping out his love into the other's mouth.

It was a moment before he could catch his breath and when he did he stared into Leo's eyes.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Love you too," Leo whispered back and the world was perfect.


End file.
